Labyrinten

work by Baggesen

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June 30, 2026

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Labyrinten (1792–93), meaning "The Labyrinth," is an imaginative prose work by Danish author Jens Baggesen. This book is described as a "sentimental journey" and is reminiscent of Laurence Sterne's writings.1

Baggesen was a significant literary figure in Denmark during the transition from Neoclassicism to Romanticism. Labyrinten was inspired by his travels through Germany, Switzerland, and France after his libretto for the opera Holger Danske received criticism. Baggesen's life was marked by extensive travel and a complex intellectual journey, embracing various philosophical and literary movements before later opposing Romanticism.1

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Jens Baggesen
…book, the imaginative prose work Labyrinten (1792–93; “The Labyrinth”), a “sentimental journey” reminiscent of the work of the 18th-century English novelist Laurence Sterne. Baggesen was variously a Germanophile, a great admirer of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an ardent supporter of the French Revolution, a disciple of Immanuel Kant, and a Romanticist and…
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…book, the imaginative prose work Labyrinten (1792–93; “The Labyrinth”), a “sentimental journey” reminiscent of the work of the 18th-century English novelist Laurence Sterne. Baggesen was variously a Germanophile, a great admirer of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, an ardent supporter of the French Revolution, a disciple of Immanuel Kant, and a Romanticist and…
Read More